Colombo, Oct. 20 (Daily Mirror) - Sri Lanka's high wild elephant population, combined with its limited land area and growing human settlements, presents a major challenge to elephant conservation, Department of Wildlife Conservation Director General M.S.L.R.P. (Ranjan) Marasinghe said.
Addressing a television programme Marasinghe said the country had an estimated wild elephant population of more than 7,000, making the management of elephant habitats and human-elephant conflict increasingly important.
He said Sri Lanka had the second-largest population of Asian elephants among countries where the species was found, after India, although differences in land area and geographical conditions made direct comparisons difficult.
India's land connections with neighbouring countries allow elephants to move across national borders, while Sri Lanka's island geography limits such movement.
Marasinghe said the density of elephants in Sri Lanka was approximately ten times that of India, highlighting the pressure on the country's available habitats.
He also pointed to habitat fragmentation as a major factor contributing to human-elephant conflict.
Road networks and the settlements that develop along them can divide elephant habitats, restrict traditional movement routes and increase contact between elephants and people.
He said the country's high human population density further complicated efforts to protect elephant habitats while meeting the needs of communities.
“Unless we take action to address human-elephant conflict itself, no amount of effort focused on individual animals will be enough to prevent these issues,” he said.
Marasinghe said a comprehensive programme was being implemented to address the conflict, adding that conservation efforts needed to focus on protecting elephants in their natural environments.
He said the government aimed to move beyond reacting to incidents involving individual elephants and instead address the wider environmental and human factors contributing to the problem.